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When the Senate convenes Tuesday, Jan. 25, it is expected to weigh a resolution to reform the filibuster rule and eliminate secret holds — protocols that many have blamed for encouraging congressional gridlock. Although the proposal is put forth by members of the Senate’s Democratic majority, it contains a series of relatively modest changes that should hold some appeal to the Senate’s Republican minority, suggests congressional expert Steven S. Smith of Washington University in St. Louis.

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Women in Congress deliver more federal projects to their home districts than men do, even when controlling for such factors as party affiliation and ideology. Congresswomen also sponsor and co–sponsor more legislation than their male counterparts, the authors found. The study has recently been accepted for publication at the American Journal of Political Science.

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The new Maryland legislature significantly under-represents women compared to the general population, though African American membership is less out of balance, finds a new University of Maryland study. “Minority candidates are quite effective at winning elections, but there aren’t enough seeking office,” said UMD researcher Paul Herrnson.

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Nick Cullather's new book 'The Hungry World' examines the central role of food in U.S. foreign policy from World War I to the present day.

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The following health policy experts at the GW Medical Center are available to comment on the State of the Union address.

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This won’t be the first State of the Union address delivered amid economic woes and stiff partisan opposition, UIndy Associate Professor Edward “Ted” Frantz says. Despite parallels to situations faced by Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama's position most resembles that of Bill Clinton in 1995.

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Ever heard of a chiasmus? Fifty years ago this week, President John F. Kennedy used more than one chiasmus to great effect when he delivered his inaugural address, according to Rowan University Communication Studies Professor Daniel Schowalter.

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Several American University professors are available for comment regarding President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday, January 25.

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Richard V. Riggs, M.D., Medical Director and Chairman of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, is available to discuss rehabilitation after gunshot and other traumatic brain injuries.

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In the wake of the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Neal Naff, M.D., chief of the Department of Neurosurgery at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, can explain this type of brain surgery and the recovery process.

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Kennedy scholar Ellen Fitzpatrick, professor of history at the University of New Hampshire, is available to discuss the Kennedy legacy as the nation marks the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of John F. Kennedy Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011.

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This commentary by renowned social scientist Dennis Embry emphasizes the severity of mental health issues facing our nation's youth. Dr. Embry advocates for the use of "behavioral vaccines" to improve mental health and reduce the problems it causes.

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Baylor University professor says violent metaphors are nothing new in American politics, but the 24-hour news cycle and anonymity of the Internet "open the floodgates" for extremists who have no way of being held accountable.

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University at Buffalo faculty experts are available to comment on the Arizona shootings and their relationship to recent political rhetoric from a historical and legal perspective. For example, recent rhetoric is similar to that during the Reconstruction period and appears to legitimize violence. And that while the vast majority of mentally ill will never commit a violent crime, commentators who preach hatred should shoulder some of the blame for this violent attack.

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A Washington and Lee University journalism professor who studies the impact of social media points to the Arizona shooting as illustrative of a change in the way breaking news is reported.

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Binghamton University faculty members are available to discuss a range of issues related to the tragic shootings that took place on Saturday, January 8, 2011, in Arizona. Topics include the dangers that public officials face, the recent magnification of public anger and the dangers of inflammatory rhetoric. To arrange interviews, please contact Gail Glover or Ryan Yarosh at 607-759-7445.

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Professors are available to comment on various topics surrounding this weekend's shootings in Arizona, including how the press handled the news with advent of social media, America's increasingly heated political rhetoric, and brain injuries and recovery.

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Bruce Mallory, professor of education at the University of New Hampshire and director of New Hampshire Listens, is available to discuss violence and civility following the shootings in Arizona Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011.

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UTHealth Trauma Experts are available for interviews to discuss trauma surgery and recovery in the wake of the near-fatal shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) at an event in Tucson.

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In the wake of the near-fatal shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) at an event in Tucson, Kansas Statue University communication studies expert Dr. David Procter is available to discuss U.S. politics and civil discourse.

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One expert on electoral politics is throwing a little cold water on pundit predictions that Republicans are the big winners from the 2010 census, which will see “red” states picking up House seats and “blue” states losing representation as a result of the once-a-decade reapportionment.

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Two experts from the University of New Hampshire are available to discuss the demographic trends and political implications of the 2010 U.S. Census, the first data counts of which are scheduled to be released Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010. The 2010 Census data to be released include the resident population for the nation and the states as well as the congressional apportionment totals for each state.

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John D. Graham, a dean at Indiana University and an official in the Bush administration, says the Obama-GOP tax-cut deal is "remarkably creative and practical," especially given the polarized state of the two-party politics.

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Cheryl Block, JD, federal budget and tax expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis, weighs in on tax cut extensions. “Finger pointing aside, both parties have been at the helm at various times since 2001,” Block says, “both standing watch over the growing imbalance between revenues and spending and both aware of threats to the nation’s future fiscal health in light of the aging population, escalating health care costs, and growing government commitments under entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicaid.”

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Despite reporters’ goal of objectivity, some broadcast accounts and articles about rumors that President Barack Obama is Muslim suggest that being an Arab or a Muslim automatically is “a sinister accusation,” according to a study by Baylor University researchers published online in the American Communication Journal.

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George W. Bush’s decision to invade Iraq following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, arguably was the most important decision of his presidency. That momentous decision also is central to understanding the psychological makeup of one of the most polarizing figures in American history, according to a new book by Dan McAdams, chair and professor of psychology in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University.

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Texas Tech University professor Robert Ricketts, Frank M. Burke Chair in Taxation in the Rawls College of Business, says that taxes do not discourage job creation or investment in the economy, and that tax cuts do not increase revenues.

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To help young people prepare to sort through the overwhelming flood of information that will soon pour forth from the media about the 2012 presidential campaign, a media literacy initiative at Ithaca College has published an update to its popular curriculum kit for teachers.

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President Obama's fiscal commission, released proposals to reduce the growth of the national debt this week. Bradley Heim of Indiana University says the plan includes good ideas but may not be politically feasible.

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Despite its divisiveness, health reform legislation did not play a major role in the midterm elections. “We are still a 50-50 country more or less on health reform,” says Timothy D. McBride, PhD, professor and associate dean for public health at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. “About half the country really dislikes the reform law, and those voters were likely to vote Republican in this election. But in all likelihood they would have done so anyway. Similarly, the other half that still favor the legislation would likely have voted for the Democrats anyway.”

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University at Buffalo political scientists James Campbell, PhD, Joshua Dyck, PhD and James Coleman Battista, PhD, will be available to the media on Wednesday, November 3 for post-election commentary and analysis.

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Analysts predict that the number of women in the U.S. Congress will decline for the first time in three decades. But the director of Iowa State University's Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, isn't so sure.

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Former Gore chief of staff Charles W. Burson, JD, senior professor of practice at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, says that the midterm elections reflect a dramatic turn from the wave of aspiration that defined our politics in 2008 to the wave of grievance that defines these midterm elections. “The Tea Party movement is the embodiment of that phenomenon. In Missouri, this wave has put the seats of Democratic Congressmen Ike Skelton and Russ Carnahan at risk, but the same wave may have also put at risk the seat of Republican Representative Jo Ann Emerson.”

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A Republican takeover of the House of Representatives in next week’s midterm elections may well give President Obama an opportunity to recast himself as a moderate statesman by the 2012 election, says Gettysburg College Political Science Professor Bruce Larson.

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Iowa State University political scientist Dave Peterson and psychologist Zlatan Krizan have both studied voting behavior and they have ideas on the reasons behind the potential political shift among the American electorate in Tuesday's midterm election.

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A survey of registered voters in Washington state shows incumbent Patty Murray four percentage points ahead of former state Sen. Dino Rossi in the race for U.S. Senate, down from 8 points two weeks ago.

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GW experts are available to speak about the midterm elections.

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A political science professor is studying the importance given to social policies by current and former female governors. With 10 female candidates currently running for governor on major party tickets -- a record-tying number, the professor said little is known about female governor's policy initiatives which shape a state.

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For stories about the 2010 midterm election, consider the following sources from The Johns Hopkins University.

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Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has raised nearly 50 percent more money for his re-election campaign than his challenger, former Gov. Bob Ehrlich - who has relied more heavily on contributions from individuals and less on those from interest groups, according to a new report from the University of Maryland Center for American Politics and Citizenship.

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Liberals may owe their political outlook partly to their genetic make-up, according to new research from the University of California, San Diego, and Harvard University. Ideology is affected not just by social factors, but also by a dopamine receptor gene called DRD4. The study’s authors say this is the first research to identify a specific gene that predisposes people to certain political views.

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A Northern Michigan University political science professor is available to share his expertise with the media for Michigan election coverage.

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Evidence is no match against the belief in false rumors concerning the proposed Islamic cultural center and mosque near Ground Zero in New York City, a new study finds.

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The 12th annual Arkansas Poll finds Arkansans favoring John Boozman for senator by a substantial margin, concerned about the economy and supportive of existing tax cuts.

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Truthy.indiana.edu, the website created by researchers at Indiana University Bloomington's School of Informatics and Computing to root out Twitter-based political astroturfing campaigns, is finding success.

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Two elite blogs often post the most interesting political videos that are then picked up by top general-interest blogs.

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The run-up to the midterm elections has produced many surprises, even in the state of Utah. Political experts at the U of U are available to shed light on a range of issues involving races in the state, the West and across the country.

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American University professor says rally/march likely to draw traditionally less-active citizens into political discourse while appealing to moderates.

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Many of the assumptions people have about black youth—that they are politically detached and negatively influenced by rap music and videos—are false stereotypes, according to a new study. Black youth say they are politically involved, critical of many messages in rap and skeptical of the idea that the country has entered a post-racial era.

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In an era when ideologically based news programs are proliferating, media scholars and political observers have expressed concern that television programming may be polarizing American voters. But, according to research conducted by Temple political scientist Kevin Arceneaux, the increased availability of entertainment options in our media environment may be a bigger problem.